The Champaign Room
A Fighting Illini community since 2012
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Unpacking Stojakovic’s bounce-back performance for Illinois
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — It was an emotional Tuesday night at State Farm Center as the Illini faithful bid farewell to their seniors, and it ended quite perfectly. No. 11 Illinois rediscovered its identity on both sides of the floor in its final home game of the season, taking down Oregon 80-54 in the first ever […]
What to expect from Illinois wrestling at Big Ten Championships
Amid a tumultuous time for the program, the Fighting Illini wrestling team heads to State College this weekend for the Big Ten Championships. Illinois’ fifth-place finish at the event last year was its best since 2013, but they may be able to improve on that result. More importantly (to me anyway), Lucas Byrd has a […]
Illinois snaps losing streak, throttles Oregon on Senior Night
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Back in the win column. After suffering back-to-back losses twice in the month of February, Illinois looks to have gotten back on track with a 80-54 win over Oregon on Tuesday night at the State Farm Center. With the win, the Illini move closer to securing a top four finish in the […]
Illinois’ Berry Wallace named First Team All-Big Ten
How about this honor for Illinois’ Berry Wallace? The star sophomore was named a unanimous selection for First-Team All-Big Ten from the league’s coaches on Tuesday. Wallace has 544 points this season, the 16th-most in a year in program history. She took on a big role this season after many leaders graduated in 2025, and […]
Illinois names two more defensive assistant coaches
Illinois’ new defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck is filling out his defensive staff with coaches he’s familiar with. The Illini named two more assistants on Tuesday. The first is Mike Linehan, who will be defensive ends coach. He spent three seasons with Hauck at Montana. He started his coaching career in 2020 at San Diego State. […]
The end of a basketball fever dream: AJ Redd’s journey to Senior Night
CHAMPAIGN — AJ Redd never really expected to be waxing poetic about his circuitous route to Senior Night at the State Farm Center. Who can blame him? Just a couple of years ago, his role on the team involved doing laundry for the likes of Terrance Shannon Jr. Redd played high school basketball for St. […]
What’s holding Illinois back? Three areas to fix in March
The Illini were sitting at 20-3 following their blowout win at home against Northwestern but have since lost four of their last six games. They looked like one of the best teams in the country and a team that could compete with Michigan for a Big Ten regular season championship. Concerns have grown following their […]
TCR Bracketology 10.0: Illini enter March searching for answers
On Friday, the Illini got a look at what an Elite Eight matchup would look like and came up depressingly short. Michigan played with an intensity and toughness that the Illini did not come close to matching and did not shoot well enough to overcome it. After being competitive in every other loss this year, […]
How to Watch No. 10 Illinois vs. No. 15 Wisconsin: Game Time, TV Channel, Online Streaming and Odds
How to Watch Big Ten Tournament First Round Game Time: ~5 p.m. Wednesday TV Channel: N/A Online Streaming: Peacock Quick Hits: Illinois Fighting Illini (19-10, 9-9 Big Ten) Head Coach: Shauna Green (4th season) Last Game: Minnesota 78, Illinois 73 Gameday Reading: Wisconsin Badgers (13-16, 5-13 Big Ten) Head Coach: Robin Pingeton Last Game: Iowa 81, Wisconsin […]
No. 10 Illini to open Big Ten Tournament against No. 15 Wisconsin
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Welcome to March, Illini fans. It’s that time of the year again! As we conclude the regular season in college basketball, all eyes will be on tournament play this upcoming week as teams around the country will look to strengthen their resume in order to get to the big dance. One of […]
Illinois’ comeback falls short in regular season finale
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois had its chances late. After trailing by as many as 15 points, the Illini battled back to tie the game in the final minute Sunday at State Farm Center. Minnesota responded at the free-throw line and held on for a 78-73 win in Illinois’ regular-season finale. The loss means the Illini […]
Illinois has a great chance to pick themselves back up
On this episode of ’Oskee Talk’ I recap women’s basketball’s near upset of #9 Iowa (3:15) and break down potential B1G Tournament positioning ahead of the regular season finale (10:46). I also examine the aftermath of Friday’s loss to Michigan (14:48) and the biggest weakness of the men’s basketball roster being exposed (16:07). I also […]
How to Watch Illinois vs. Oregon: Game Time, TV Channel, Online Streaming and Odds
How to Watch Illinois vs. Oregon Game Time: 8 p.m. Tuesday TV Channel: N/A Online Streaming: Peacock Odds: N/A (Illinois 95% Chance To Win – ESPN Matchup Predictor) Quick Hits: Illinois Fighting Illini (22-7, 13-5 Big Ten) Head Coach: Brad Underwood (9th season) Last Game: Michigan 84, Illinois 70 Gameday Reading: Oregon Ducks (11-18, 4-14 Big Ten) Head […]
‘Ready to go cut it loose’: Former Illini QB Luke Altmyer performs at NFL Combine
INDIANAPOLIS — Rearing and ready to go. When former Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer met with the media at the NFL Combine, he was teeming with anticipation, just waiting to get to Saturday morning’s drills. “I’m ready to go cut it loose, man,” Altmyer said. “I’m confident, I’m prepared and I’m ready to go do it.” […]
Photo Gallery: Illinois’ 84-70 loss to No. 3 Michigan
It was a disappointing night at State Farm Center on Friday as Illinois couldn’t top No. 3 Michigan. The Wolverines left the arena with an outright Big Ten title. Here’s the best photos from a big day from TCR photographer Jack Jungmann.
‘Need to play with more nasty’: How Illinois got bullied in dud vs. No. 3 Michigan
CHAMPAIGN — Kylan Boswell sat at the podium while emerging from a flashbang. As the mist subsided, the irritation in his eyes grew. It was like he had seen a ghost. “I feel like I let us down tonight. I can’t afford this type of stuff for the team,” Boswell said after No. 10 Illinois’ […]
No. 10 Illinois fall to No. 3 Michigan behind sold out crowd
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — With all the hope in the world, Illini fans were let down Friday night. Despite a sold out State Farm Center crowd and a sense of hunger to take home a victory, No. 10 Illinois couldn’t hold off the most athletic team in the nation, falling 84-70 to No. 3 Michigan. The […]
Orange Krush isn’t messing around ahead of Michigan game
Ahead of the biggest game of the season, Orange Krush isn’t messing around. The Illini’s student section showed up bright and early outside State Farm Center on Friday, with some arriving overnight to secure their spot. Illinois shared a drone shot of the lines outside the arena Friday afternoon. TCR’s Jack Jungmann snapped some photos […]
Editorial: Illinois vs. Michigan is a rivalry
Yeah, so this caused a firestorm of controversy. The concept of rivalry in college athletics can be a headscratcher. In college football, Michigan State fans view Michigan as their rivals. Michigan fans view Michigan State as their intramural sparring partner because of their far greater concern with the team down south. Meanwhile, in basketball, Ohio […]
‘Always a dream’: Former Illini Gabe Jacas on NFL Combine
INDIANAPOLIS — To whichever NFL team drafts Gabe Jacas, they’re getting someone who’s physical and disciplined, who doesn’t take plays off and is a natural leader. That is, of course, in the words of Jacas himself, as he met with the media from the NFL Combine on Wednesday morning. While describing himself to reporters, one […]
Hot shooting Illini can’t finish off upset of No. 9 Iowa
IOWA CITY, Ia. — Almost had it. In the 51st consecutive sellout at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, the Fighting Illini nearly pulled off the program’s most historic upset in recent memory, falling short to the No. 9 Iowa Hawkeyes 82-78. It was a game of two halves for the orange and blue. Early on, it was all […]
Illinois names new wrestling head coach
A couple of months after Mike Poeta was placed on leave, Illinois officially has a new wrestling coach. Illinois removed the “acting” tag off Jeremy Hunter’s job on Thursday and made him the 16th head coach in Illini wrestling history. Hunter has been with the Illini for a quarter-century since arriving in 2001. He has […]
Three reasons Illinois will beat No. 3 Michigan
The Illini men’s basketball team has had many big games this season. Friday is yet another one vs. the league-leading Michigan Wolverines. The Illini literally have two shots at winning the regular-season Big Ten championship: slim and none. Broken down, that means Illinois has to win out, and Michigan will have to drop three straight […]
‘Grown a lot’: Illinois enters final stretch on winning streak
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Shauna Green’s team is peaking at the right time. Illinois (19-8, 9-7 Big Ten) is coming off of three straight dominant wins against Wisconsin, Rutgers and Northwestern, but will have some tougher competition to end the regular season. “We’ve grown a lot from these games,” said sophomore Berry Wallace. “[It will] just […]
Illinois’ Gretchen Dolan ruled out for rest of season
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Illini have been on a tear as of late, winning each of their last three games and doing so by an average margin of 23 points. They have done this without the help of one of their stars, redshirt sophomore Gretchen Dolan. Head coach Shauna Green had been hoping to get […]
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